


Red Web

by EmmaLeeWrites



Series: Nightmares [4]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: But of course he finds himself literally in one, Gen, The animatronics are smart enough not to let most people know they're sentient, Trevor is into conspiracies, like usual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:28:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26638837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmaLeeWrites/pseuds/EmmaLeeWrites
Summary: Alfredo's friend Trevor works the day shift at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. He notices some... interesting things about the animatronics, and decides to rope Alfredo into it.
Series: Nightmares [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767145
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Red Web

“I’m telling you, Fredo, those animatronics are alive!” Trevor says, waving his arms around wildly.

Alfredo raises an eyebrow, enjoying the frantic energy of his friend. Trevor is usually overzealous, but it’s honestly amusing to watch him get more and more worked up over something that isn’t actually that big of a deal. It’s a character quirk. And another character quirk of Trevor’s is his undying curiosity, especially when conspiracies and mysteries are involved.

“You sure about that Tre?” Alfredo asks. “I mean, they’re made to seem alive.”

Trevor shakes his head. “No, they’re definitely actually alive. Some sort of AI or something, I don’t know exactly, but they act like real people! They act like real people trying to pretend they’re fake! I can’t explain it, but I know what I’m seeing.”

“So you think you’re the only person that’s noticed, or..?” Alfredo asks.

“I’m sure other people have noticed. But you clearly don’t believe me, so who’s to say anyone else has said anything? Maybe everyone who works there is just awkwardly walking around thinking they’re the only one that’s noticed the animatronics are more than they should be!” Trevor groans and drops onto the couch beside Alfredo face first.

“Or you’re just getting yourself caught up in a fake conspiracy theory again, this time created by you.” Alfredo looks back at the laptop in his lap and the editing software open on it. With a shake of his head he closes the laptop. _ Looks like I’m not getting any farther on this right now. _

“But I’m not!” Trevor says into the couch. “Look, we let them walk around during the day. We have workers everywhere, so there’s always someone keeping an eye on them. We don’t let them into the kitchen or the employee only room, but occasionally one of them will find their way into the rooms they aren’t allowed to so someone has to get them out. Usually I’m stuck doing that, and let me tell you, Fredo, the way they look at me when I talk to them is terrifying!”

“Yeah, I don’t know what that means.”

“The animatronics are set up to recognise humans, right?” Trevor lifts his head to look at him. “And recognise the difference between adults and children. They move slowly and mechanically, and have a small set of responses each when spoken to. And when an adult tells them what to do, they’re set up to do it.”

“So if I tell Freddy Fazbear to do the chicken dance while standing on one foot he’ll do it?” Alfredo fights to hide his smirk. Yeah, Trevor is genuinely worked up about this. It’s also a ridiculous enough premise that they both know Alfredo is well within his rights to say it. 

“No, but if you go to lead him out of a room, or tell him to go to a room, or to walk to the stage or sing a song, he’ll do it. But… I’ve never seen robots that seem so alive before. I’ve seen a lot of robots, Fredo, and I know you’ve seen robots before. Toys, the ones set up at amusement parks, you know? Even Sophia the Robot.”

“I’ve seen videos of Sophia the Robot.”

“Obviously. Look, you know when you’re looking at them that they aren’t alive. No matter how realistic they act and engage with people, they aren't. Alive.” Trevor pushes himself to his knees. “But even though the animatronics at Freddy’s are made of nuts and bolts, and their eyes are as fake as any other robots… there’s just something about them. The micromovements. The way they stare at you. When you tell them to do something it’s almost like they’re thinking about it. It’s creepy, and nobody else seems to notice!”

“But you haven’t actually caught them doing anything out of the ordinary?” Alfredo says.

Trevor shakes his head. “Well, no. If I had I’d be a lot more worked up I guess. But still! There’s something going on there!”

Alfredo stands and stretches. He glances back at Trevor. “So, whatchu gonna do about it?”

“What do you mean?” Trevor asks, knitting his brows.

“Are you going to get some evidence? Tell someone that isn’t me? You have to do something, right?”

“I honestly didn’t think about that. Yeah, I should do something!” Trevor stands, pointlessly brushing himself off. He was only laying on the couch, anyway. “I don’t know what I could do, though. I mean, nobody’s going to believe me unless I have hard evidence, but getting hard evidence… hm.”

“Video cameras?”

Trevor laughs. “Yeah, let me just set up a whole bunch of video cameras at my workplace. Not suspicious at all. But seriously, what could I do to get hard evidence the animatronics are alive?”

“You could catch them in the act? If they do something they aren’t programmed to do you could make a case. Most people would probably think ‘broken’, not ‘alive’, but if you catch them doing something… incriminating…”

Trevor throws his hands up. “So I see Chic do something that clearly she isn’t supposed to be able to do-- unless there’s more than one person around, or I get it on camera, it doesn’t matter. And there’s no way I’ll be able to bring a camera into Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.”

“Use your phone, then.”

“Same problem, Fredo. Let’s just take some video while surrounded by kids-- I do  _ not  _ want to be seen as some sort of pedophile or something.”

_ Hmm…  _ Alfredo thinks. “You could break in at night.”

“That’s the worst idea ever and you know it!” Trevor says. “But thanks for believing in me, Fredo!”

Trevor walks for the door, pausing only to grab his backpack. 

“I don’t!” Alfredo calls after him. “Let me know what you come up with though!”

***

Bang, bang, bang. Someone’s knocking on Alfredo’s front door, and he’s willing to bet it’s Trevor. Alfredo stands, stretches, and walks to the living room. He opens the door. Sure enough, Trevor stands on the other side.

“Alfredo, you’re not gonna believe this!” Trevor brushes past him, practically vibrating with energy.

Alfredo scratches the back of his head. “Yeah? Believe what?”

Trevor twirls around. “I’ve been keeping a closer eye on the animatronics for the past month and a half. And boy, have I noticed some stuff. More than that-- they know what I’m doing, Fredo! They _ know! _ ”

Alfredo follows him to the kitchen. “They know what?”

“They know I know!”

“Why, are they giving you weird looks or something?”

Trevor leans across the table. “Foxy talked to me. And it wasn’t one of his preset lines, either. He knew my name, Fredo! He knows who I am and what I’m doing!”

He raises an eyebrow. “You’re sure you didn’t mishear?”

“Oh, I’m sure. Because then I talked to Bonnie, and then Chica, and then Freddy, and with every single one of them it was like that scene from Brooklyn Nine-Nine with the hula hooping-- nobody will ever believe you, you remember that?” Trevor stares at him.

Alfredo raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, I remember that scene. What, did they actually say ‘nobody will ever believe you’?”

“No but it was implied!” Trevor says. “They know I know and they know nobody will ever believe me and now I don’t know what to do! Do you believe me?”

_ Do I believe you? _ Alfredo wonders. _ Sure, you’ll go and believe almost anything, but you do at least try to check your sources before spreading information… Do I believe that the animatronics at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza are alive? No, not at all. Do I believe what you’re telling me?  _ “Well, I don’t think you’re trying to pull a fast one on me, so I guess so.”

Trevor beams. “Great! Because I don’t know what to do now.”

“Nothing? Do they sound like they don’t like you or something?”

“Well, no, but it’s like, I have cursed knowledge. I should share it, right?”

Alfredo shakes his head. “Sometimes it’s best to keep things to yourself, man.” He crosses his arms. “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“I guess so.” Trevor says. He frowns. “I really want to know how, though. And if this is a thing other locations are noticing.”

***

“So the technician is leaving, and now the restaurant is looking to hire a new one. Do you think I should ask for the position? It’s probably easier to train someone that already works there than a new person, right?” Trevor says, before anything else, as he walks into Alfredo’s apartment.

“Yeah, but if they give you the position they’ll need to replace you. Then they’re training two people instead of one.” Alfredo crosses his arms. “I mean, it makes more sense to hire a new person for the technician role.”

“But with my education-”

“-an associates in engineering sciences-”

“-I’m working for my bachelors!” Trevor crosses his arms indignantly. “But it’s still engineering. I have experience.”

“Sure, Tre.” Alfredo says. “Look, ask for it if you want. Maybe you’ll get some answers. Or maybe you’ll just get stuck with something you don’t want. Do you think this’ll answer the questions you have?”

Trevor opens his mouth, closes it, and looks away. He sighs. “I need to know why the animatronics are the way they are. Best way I can figure is to ask them, but it’s not like I get the time when I’m working. Maybe if I work one on one as a technician they’ll talk.” He snorts and looks back at Alfredo. “Well, talk more than they have. They weren’t exactly forthcoming with information.”

Alfredo stares at him. “Just don’t do anything illegal, Tre.”

“I’m not gonna do anything illegal, don’t be dramatic.”

Alfredo grins, turning away to walk into his kitchen. He raises his hands. “I wash my hands of this weirdness.”

***

“So as it turns out, the animatronics don’t have much to say on the matter.”

Alfredo rolls his eyes. “Wasn’t your whole premise that the animatronics talk?”

“Not all of it!” trevor says. He sends him a hurt look. “Did you even listen?”

“No, not at all.” Alfredo says. “So, what’s this about they don’t have much to say? You’ve been talking to them?”

“Well, sort of. Usually when they need repair they need… repair. Hm, could’ve said that better. Anyway, when I go to work on them it’s usually because there’s something wrong, so they aren’t really up for talking much. But afterwards-- afterwards we’ve talked. I think they like me better when I’ve proven I don’t want to hurt them, you know?”

“Like most beings.”

“Right. So, let me tell you, working on Bonnie is a real chore. I usually just have to tune his guitar, but it’s all colored and stuff and I! Am colorblind! So that sucked, but he was pretty chill about it. Chica tends to get food stuck in her beak, the whole nine. I usually have to replace Freddy’s music box. Foxy has a lot of hidden control fuses that need to be replaced. Anyway, I’ve talked to all of them and they’re basically… well I wouldn’t say smart, but they can carry a conversation.”

_ This is actually happening, isn’t it. _ Alfredo scratches the back of his head.  _ This is real life. We’re actually talking about sentient animatronics at a popular kid’s entertainment chain. _ “Did they say anything about why they can do all that, or..?”

“Basically they have no idea.” Trevor says. “They were made to be entertainers, they want to be entertainers, but they have the side effect of being able to think for themselves.”

“Guess it’s a good thing they’re friendly, then, huh?” Alfredo jokes. “Wouldn’t want them going full terminator.”

“I think it’d be more like I, Robot, wouldn’t it?” Trevor says.

Alfredo snorts. “Probably a bit of both, Tre. But how do they not know why they’re sentient?”

“They’ve been stuck in one building since their creation, Fredo, they’re almost less socialized than kids. I don’t think they were told ‘Yeah, you’re sentient. Go be an entertainer, and good luck with pretending to be mindless robots! Have fun!’ They aren’t philosophers.”

“Clearly not.” Alfredo agrees. “So, what now?”

Trevor plays with a nonexistent beard. “Now… I get closer to the animatronics. I also want to look at Fazbear Entertainment Conspiracy Theories. I want to know if other locations also have sentient animatronics.”

***

“You could make a podcast out of this, Fredo! Look at all this!” Trevor says, beckoning Alfredo over.

Alfredo pushes his laptop off his lap and stands, walking over to Trevor, still sitting at the kitchen table. “What’ve you found?”

“A whole lot of nothing! I mean, nothing concrete. The history of Fazbear Entertainment has almost no records on the internet. But man, are there conspiracy theories. I’ve definitely found stories from people talking about their experiences with the animatronics-- I don’t believe all of them, but some sound pretty realistic. Yeah, I know how that sounds, Fredo, but listen to me.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Alfredo says. He smirks. “Go on.”

“Well, there’s not much else to say, really. Not unless you want to hear me go on a big tirade, which I can. But nobody seems to know why.” Trevor shakes his head. “But there’s this one account from this guy-- his username’s Beardo but that doesn’t say much-- that just talks about what it was like working with the animatronics as a manager. He ended up quitting because he didn’t want to lie to the employees anymore.”

“Why was he lying?”

“Well, just about their sentience. Apparently the ones there were dangerous, or at least became dangerous, but he doesn’t say why… but the higher ups at the company told him to keep quiet. Threaten people if they tried to talk, apparently.”

“Well, he hasn’t done that if he’s posting on the internet.”

“Yeah.” Trevor agrees. “I think the whole ‘keep quiet’ part was mostly because the animatronics were dangerous on some level, but still. He didn’t go into that much detail, probably to protect himself. Wonder if I should try to contact this guy.”

Alfredo sees where he’s heading, and doesn’t like it. “Uhh, how about you just forget about this particular mystery for now, Trevor. I don’t like the sound of dangerous animatronics. Remember our Terminator conversation?”

Trevor looks at him. He looks at Trevor.

“I- yeah, okay.” Trevor says. “I’ll stay out of the danger zone.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah, I promise.”

***

“I didn’t stay out of the danger zone.” Trevor says quickly.

Alfredo steps to the side to let him in the apartment. He shakes his head. “What did you do, Tre?”

“Nothing serious!” Trevor says. “I just, maybe, did some digging online, and maybe I also said some stuff to my boss, and he might’ve, maybe… fired me.”

“You’re serious?”

“Oh, absolutely. I’ve been fired.”

“What’s the official statement?”

“Oh, you know, something something insubordination, something something rumours, something something unsatisfactory work.” Trevor shrugs. “So… could be worse I guess. Still sucks.”

“What did you say?”

Trevor laughs nervously. “I wasn’t rude or anything. Guess I just said some stuff he didn’t want to talk about. Guess we aren’t supposed to talk about the sentient animatronics.”

***

“Alfredo guess what!”

“One of these days you’re going to destroy my eardrums?” Alfredo guesses. He motions for Trevor to come in. “Why do you always have to yell when I open my front door to you?”

“I’m always excited to see you.” Trevor says. He walks to the kitchen and sets his laptop down, opening it. “Or excited about other stuff. Like today! Guess what?”

Alfredo shakes his head. “What?”

“Remember my message board post about Freddy’s and the animatronics?”

“Obviously.”

“Well, someone new has commented on it.” Trevor points at his screen.

Alfredo bends down to look at it. He skims over Trevor’s post, and then-- right at the top-- is a brand new comment. He knows because Trevor always shows him the new comments as soon as he can. “Email me at GB@live.com. I want to talk about your experience. I might have some answers. Commented by The Brother.” He reads. He glances at Trevor, feeling something like butterflies-- or tarantulas-- in his stomach. Anxiety or excitement, he doesn’t know. “You believe them?”

“I don’t know yet. I tried looking into this user, but I couldn’t find their username anywhere except for two other places-- on a Fazbear story by user Axialmatt, and another by user Chungus.”

Alfredo snorts. “Chungus?”

Trevor grins. “You know, I didn’t find that funny until now. Thanks, Fredo.”

“Glad to be of service.” He says. “So what did they say on those posts?”

“The exact same thing. Email me, I have information.” Trevor scrolls around. “I have no idea who The Brother is. And they didn’t comment on like anything else, even other stories. I don’t know if it means we’re the only ones with genuine stories or what, but I’m definitely emailing this person.”

“Have you checked other message boards?”

“I tried, but I can’t find any similar comments or usernames, even on posts that seem genuine. And man, I looked. I did find one post on an old message board that was newer than the rest, even with a couple new comments, but I think that was something else entirely.” Trevor says. “I’m gonna email this guy and see what he has to say. You want in?”

“What is this, a drug deal?” Alfredo snorts. “Yeah, keep me posted. Don’t mention my name, though.”

“Don’t want your name on the Red Web?”

“It’s Dark Web, Tre.”

“Not the one I’m talking about.”


End file.
